The French Open women’s semifinals had an unusual start when unseeded 17-year-old phenom Mirra Andreeva and 28-year-old Jasmine Paolini pulled off upsets on Wednesday.
The 38th-ranked Andreeva admitted she largely ignores any pre-match strategy sessions with her coach, preferring to just go with her instincts once on court.
“I always play the way I want to play. We have a plan with my coach for the match, but after, I forget everything,” Andreeva said after ousting No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 to become the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997.
The fearless Russian’s mix of youthful audacity and talent has carried her to rare air in just her sixth major tournament appearance. Next up is another surprise semifinalist in Paolini, the 28-year-old Italian who defeated No. 4 Elena Rybakina 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
“I would say that I am almost like a normal teenager,” Andreeva said, acknowledging she still watches Netflix, spends too much time on Instagram, and has to do schoolwork between matches.
However, she displayed poise under pressure, recovering from squandering a 5-2 lead in the opening set against Sabalenka, who had won 23 straight sets at majors this year before Andreeva’s victory.
While Andreeva represents the future of the women’s game, the relatively diminutive Paolini has persevered through over 15 years of first and second-round Grand Slam exits before breaking through in France.
Paolini now gets a rematch with Andreeva after losing to the Russian teen last month in Madrid.
“She’s so young but she’s so, so good mentally. And she can defend very well. She can serve well,” Paolini said. “It’s going to be a tough match, but we are in the semifinals, so there is no chance to get easy matches.”
With Jannik Sinner also reaching the men’s semifinals, it’s a breakthrough French Open for Italian tennis overall. Paolini and the exuberant Andreeva have breathed exciting new life into the tournament through their unexpected runs from outside the spotlight.
On the other side of the draw, No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 3 Coco Gauff aim to bring a blockbuster showdown of rising superstars when they clash for a berth in Saturday’s final in Paris.